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Exploding head syndrome

Exploding head syndrome is a rare condition first reported by a British physician in 1988 (PMID 2899248) that causes the sufferer to occasionally experience a tremendously loud noise as if from within their own head, usually described as an explosion or a roar. This usually occurs within an hour or two of falling asleep, but is not the result of a dream. Although perceived as tremendously loud, the noise is usually not accompanied by pain. Attacks appear to increase and decrease in frequency over time, with several attacks occurring in a space of days or weeks followed by months of remission. Sufferers often feel a sense of terror and anxiety after an attack, accompanied by elevated heart rate. more...

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Attacks are also often accompanied by perceived flashes of light or difficulty in breathing.

Etiology

The cause of exploding head syndrome is not known, though some physicians have reported a correlation with stress or extreme fatigue. The condition may develop at any time during life and women are slightly more likely to suffer from it than men. Attacks can be one-time events, or can recur.

The mechanism is also not known, though possibilities have been suggested; one is that it may be the result of a sudden movement of a middle ear component or of the eustachian tube, another is that it may be the result of a form of minor seizure in the temporal lobe where the nerve cells for hearing are located. Electroencephalograms recorded during actual attacks show unusual activity only in some sufferers, and have ruled out epileptic seizures as a cause (PMID 1896728).

Those who claim to be subject to Kundalini events occasionally report similar auditory phenomena.

Whatever the mechanism, however, it appears that exploding head syndrome is a real phenomenon and not caused by psychological disturbances. It is not thought to be medically dangerous, although it is often distressing to experience. Note that EHS does not, in fact, cause the head to explode.

Treatment

Symptoms may be resolve spontaneously over time. It may be helpful to reassure the patient that this symptom is harmless. Clomipramine has been used in 3 patients, who experienced immediate relief from this condition (PMID 1896728).

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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Hit the ground! Heads exploding all over
From Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), 11/26/00 by Rich Tosches

With the election crisis apparently heading toward a conclusion, George W. Bush is tasting victory. I'm guessing he's doing this out of a brown paper bag - while hanging his head out the driver's window, singing "Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life."

Anyway, let's look at the more mundane things that affect all of us.

Here's one, for example - an actual letter to Dr. Donohue published Friday (I'm not kidding) in the Gazelle:

"Dear Dr. Donohue: Almost every night as I am on the threshold of sleep, I hear a loud explosion in my head that jolts me out of sleep and has me sitting bolt upright with my heart beating like a bunny's. I am not a happy camper. Any suggestions? - D.S."

I had the exact same problem back in the '80s. After the 37th consecutive night of hearing these loud "explosions" in my head, I remember telling my roommate, Ted Kaczynski, who told me to go back to sleep so he could finish typing his manifesto.

Here now - and I swear I'm not kidding - is Dr. Donohue's actual answer:

"Dear D.S.: There is a bona fide condition with the name Exploding Head Syndrome."

The syndrome twice reached epidemic proportions last week in our own village VFW Hall, first after Hillary Rodham Clinton won a seat in the U.S. Senate - which we all know she intends to use as a springboard to becoming the first female president.

If Colorado Springs Republicans are choking at the thought of "President Hillary," the city of Denver will have to rush down and give our town the Heimlich Maneuver over the phrase "Vice President Ellen DeGeneres."

The second outbreak of Exploding Head Syndrome at the VFW hall came when Bill Clinton landed in Vietnam. The commander in chief of U.S. Armed Forces explained he was 35 years late because he'd misunderstood his draft notice. Instead of "report to duty" he thought it said "report to booty."

As you know, he went on to earn general's stripes in the Booty Brigade. (Monica earned spots.)

While Clinton was in Hanoi, he offended many dignitaries at a state dinner when he tried to impress his host, Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, by ordering without a translator. Turns out "Moo Goo Kung Pao" isn't a chicken dish like he thought. It's the general's daughter.

Anyway, back to the letter, "D.S." said the explosions in his head leave his heart "beating like a bunny's."

To make things worse, when he went to get his newspaper in the driveway, 12 greyhounds chased him around the block.

According to the letter, the explosions in his head, along with the pounding heartbeat, have made D.S. "not a happy camper."

Turns out the explosions weren't in his head. They were outside his tent while he was camping north of Woodland Park. He had the misfortune of pitching his tent the same night the Division of Wildlife implemented Phase 2 of Operation PEACE - Promptly Euthanizing All Cute Elk.

Of course, the DOW claims this is just another form of Exploding Head Syndrome.

Copyright 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

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